Perfectly Ruined by:jdollar *a D'Amore story*

Chapter 17

□□□□□□□ I sorta, maybe, kinda, might, slightly, possibly, like you □□□□□□□
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Pauly
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"You've been here all this time? It's been nearly a week since I've seen you. We were all starting to think you ran off again," Oscar is annoyed as he moves to stand in front of me, Seth and Toe having tagged along.

"I needed to get out of the city for a while," I decide to answer truthfully.

I leave out the fact that I have been in a constant battle with myself since my, unforgettable, night with Caroline.

"Samuel's furious. You haven't been to a single meeting all this week. He's getting what he wants by you doing that," Oscar points out.

"I could care less what he wants," I snap.

"You want him to be able to prove that you're not ready to start taking over?" Seth is confused.

I shrug. "I won't be taking over anytime soon anyway and when I do, I'll probably give it to Marco anyway, if he wants it."

"But don't you want to show him that you are capable?" Seth asks.

"He knows I'm cable," I explain. "I just don't want to always be at his beck and call. Which is exactly what I have been since I've come home."

"I don't understand why you refuse to show him that you would be good at his business. You could prove to him-"

"I've been trying to prove myself to him since I was a kid, I'm done proving myself to him....or anyone else."

"But Pauly, you're being unreasonable. You could easily-"

"Give it a rest," Oscar interrupts Seth. "He didn't want Samuel's business before and he doesn't now. Either way, he'll get all Samuel's money one day and his business. Whether he decides to sell it or blow it all, is none of our business."

Leave it to Oscar to give so much honesty that I feel guilty. For what I don't know. Maybe because we all know he's right and that I won't have to put b in any effort now that Henry is dead. That is what makes me feel so guilty. Henry devoted his life to making our father proud and doing well at it. While I have hardly given any thought to my future at all. My plan was to let this stupid position sit with me until Marco was ready to take over. To allow Marco the chance to be a kid while he still has the chance.
If Samuel would only see that I don't want the position he's putting me in, and just wait for Marco.... it isn't even worth wasting time thinking about. Samuel is determined to have one of us in training for taking over one day. And if I didn't allow him to humor himself with 'training' me, than he would have gone straight for my baby brother. Something I don't think any kid should have to put up with while they still have so much trouble growing up as it is. It's already hard enough being a kid, Marco needs to enjoy his youth while he can, not be forced to sit through meeting and lectures.

"Were you ever going to text me back?" Oscar demands.

I raise a brow at him. "I told you, I needed some space. I planned on going back this weekend. Why'd you track me down anyway?"

Oscar folds his arms over his chest. "Because Samuel went to Lex and Lex came to me. If I couldn't produce you by this eveing then, Lex would have had to stop everything to look for you himself. And you really, really didn't want him to be the one to find you."

I half grin. "Probably not."

"Mia has been worried and so has Mawmaw," he warns.

"We all know that none of us wants to upset Mawmaw," Toe mutters under his breath.

Oscar grins at the big guy. "You wouldn't be scared of my grandmother, would you, Toe?"

Seth's expression is blank and he blinks at Oscar once before he says, "We all are."